What upgrade path to take?

Printable View

02-13-2013, 09:13 AM
ET3D

What upgrade path to take?

I won 16GB of DDR3, and I'll get it at some point, at which time I'll want to use it, which would mean needing a new motherboard. I've also wanted to upgrade my cramped case for a while, so will probably buy a Carbide 200R to house my PC.

I currently have a Phenom II X6 1090T CPU on a Gigabyte MB. At a minimum a new Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 MB will cost me around $115, but I'll probably go for an Asus M5A97 R2.0 for $140, because it has a header for front USB 3.0 and seems to be better featured (the third option I have is Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3).

But now comes the twist. I'll basically be left with a full computer sans CPU. I'll have a case, MB, 4GB RAM (probably 6GB, I haven't checked what exactly fried of my 8GB). I can put there a spare 250GB HD, a DVD-R drive (I have both DVD-R and Blu-ray burner in my PC), and a GeForce 9600 or Radeon 5750 (assuming I go back to my Radeon 5850). All I'm missing is a CPU.

Thing is, I don't want a second PC, so I'll want to see it. That's a tough proposition as is, considering it's an AMD based PC, but it's even tougher when there's no CPU and it's getting rather hard to get compatible AMD CPU's. The cheapest I could find was an Athlon II X3 455 for around $105.

An alternate option is to keep the Phenom II X6 in the old PC and buy a new MB/CPU combo, probably Core i5. That would up the price significantly, but if I manage to sell the PC that might offset some of that cost.

All these options make my head spin, and I have no idea what's the best course of action. What are your thoughts?
02-13-2013, 01:37 PM
Goliath182

Are you from the US? Newegg has Athlon II X2's for as low as $53, and the 970 BE is cheaper on Newegg than the X3 you're looking at.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=Socket%20AM3
02-13-2013, 01:45 PM
ET3D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goliath182

Are you from the US?

I'm in Israel. Which means that choice of components I can buy is a lot more limited and they cost more.
02-13-2013, 03:38 PM
PP Mguire

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

I'm in Israel. Which means that choice of components I can buy is a lot more limited and they cost more.

I would not go the i5 route unless you plan to grab a 3570k and a Z77 board. I support the move to the 200r, it's a nice cheap little case. If cost is a problem then I would get the cheapest 970 board that comes with features that you want and just keep the other stuff as spare parts.
02-13-2013, 07:31 PM
foxmobouser

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

I'm in Israel. Which means that choice of components I can buy is a lot more limited and they cost more.

I'll be happy to assist you either through paypal or my amazon account with components if needed from the US.

If you go with an AM3+ platform then get a board released in 2013, many boards have a lot of hidden issues that pop up later, like buggy bios that does not do what it claims to suppose to be doing, poor mosfet or vrm cooling that causes cpu's to throttle etc. I would stay away from Gigabyte.

If you go with the Intel route you'll spend a lot more.

The cheapest route would be an AMD FM2 like A10 with a good mobo.

The options are quite broad depending on what preferences you have, your budget, availability and needs.
02-13-2013, 07:43 PM
PP Mguire

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxmobouser

I'll be happy to assist you either through paypal or my amazon account with components if needed from the US.

If you go with an AM3+ platform then get a board released in 2013, many boards have a lot of hidden issues that pop up later, like buggy bios that does not do what it claims to suppose to be doing, poor mosfet or vrm cooling that causes cpu's to throttle etc. I would stay away from Gigabyte.

If you go with the Intel route you'll spend a lot more.

The cheapest route would be an AMD FM2 like A10 with a good mobo.

The options are quite broad depending on what preferences you have, your budget, availability and needs.

He already has a good Phenom 2 and I doubt an APU will outperform his 1090t. That's why I said if he changed anything up it better be a 3570k/Z77 or better or else it's a waste of money. The 1090t will handle anything thrown at it still and then some.

I vote get a beast 990FX board and I second the don't get Gigabyte comment.
02-13-2013, 07:59 PM
ET3D

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

I'm in Israel. Which means that choice of components I can buy is a lot more limited and they cost more.

On second thought when it comes to a CPU I can get that from the US. That's what I did with my current CPU. There's someone who could bring it for me in June.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PP Mguire

I would not go the i5 route unless you plan to grab a 3570k and a Z77 board. I support the move to the 200r, it's a nice cheap little case. If cost is a problem then I would get the cheapest 970 board that comes with features that you want and just keep the other stuff as spare parts.

I don't think I need most of these as spares. I don't want to keep the case as a spare, and also the MB and RAM. Really most of this stuff I can don't really need. Only the graphics cards make sense to me as spares (I'm using the 9600 at work right now).

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxmobouser

I'll be happy to assist you either through paypal or my amazon account with components if needed from the US. ...

The cheapest route would be an AMD FM2 like A10 with a good mobo.

Thanks for the offer. Really what I need is shipping out of the US, although there are companies supplying such services for a price (typically $28 minimum), plus there's VAT to pay. The good thing about Amazon is that it has no problem accepting international credit cards. I bought a lot of stuff there (including my current CPU).

FM2 doesn't make sense. It would be cheapest to keep my Phenom II, and I think it will also perform better.

Really, my needs are quite modest. I'm not doing that much with my PC these days that I need a very powerful one. The only reasons I'm thinking of buying a CPU/MB combo instead of just a MB is that I feel that AMD is a dead end and that I feel that a working 2nd PC will be easier to sell.
02-13-2013, 08:05 PM
PP Mguire

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

On second thought when it comes to a CPU I can get that from the US. That's what I did with my current CPU. There's someone who could bring it for me in June.

I don't think I need most of these as spares. I don't want to keep the case as a spare, and also the MB and RAM. Really most of this stuff I can don't really need. Only the graphics cards make sense to me as spares (I'm using the 9600 at work right now).

Anything can happen. Nobody wants clutter, but having a spare motherboard and RAM in the closet is just smart. You can always ditch or sell the rest.
02-14-2013, 07:43 AM
ET3D

Quote:

Originally Posted by PP Mguire

Anything can happen. Nobody wants clutter, but having a spare motherboard and RAM in the closet is just smart. You can always ditch or sell the rest.

Thinking about it, this actually makes sense. I can sell a full PC sans MB/CPU and graphics card. One could simply add a cheap Intel MB and Pentium and some RAM and have an entry level PC. Still not an easy sell, but I may be able to sell this back to the store where I bought my PC.
02-15-2013, 03:02 AM
James86

I say get a cheap AMD CPU and a new mobo then if anything breaks you can always swap out the other pc's parts to see what is wrong